Eight US soldiers on rape and murder charges in Iraq have been referred to a court-martial, the US military said in a statement on Wednesday.

The charges came after a military hearing investigated allegations that several of the soldiers raped the girl and tried to make the murders look like a sectarian attack in a town near Baghdad on March 12.

Two of the soldiers could face the death penalty, the military said.

The accused ringleader, Steven Green, is being tried in civilian court because he was discharged from the military before the incident came to light.

(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2006)